Not What I Expected

The truth was I couldn't be around Alex. She just reminded me too much of Lexi. I could hardly tell them apart. Both of them had firm bodies. Lexi's was from working out and Alex's was from working the farm. Their light brown hair was identical as well as their eyes. It was going to be hard on me being around Alex, but I couldn't just walk away. The only way to tell them apart was Alex's accent, which I loved.

Chapter 2

Larry and Jerry both worked the farm. They were in their mid to late twenties Larry being a year older and both were married and had kids. They each had a house built on the property. Their parents gave them each five acres of land of their own. The houses were at least a hundred yards from each other. They were really a close knit family. It was full of love.

Jerry offered to take me in to town to the motel. On the way we talked a bit. He mentioned that when Alex came to live with them that he was just a kid himself. He said that Alex followed him everywhere. To him she was his little sister. They had heard that she was a twin but never met her sister. He laughed when he mentioned that Alex was independent and wanted to do everything herself.

I asked him why he and his brothers came out with rifles when I pulled up. Did they think I was a revenuer or something? He laughed and told me they didn't do home brew anymore. They really were legit farmers and were just trying to make a life for their families.

The reason they came out with rifles was that Alex had told them that she had gotten a few harassing phone calls. She had no idea who it was from but it bothered her in this day and age. She expected it was from a couple of the guys at college that bothered her, but she couldn't be sure.

Jerry said he thought that I might have been one of them who had come to the farm. They were just going to scare me. They tried to trace the calls but it came from the bar down the road. It was sort of a college hangout. After I signed into the motel I asked Jerry to take me to the bar. I wanted a look around at who might be harassing Alex, maybe we could get lucky.

As we drank a beer I asked Jerry about Alex's boyfriend, Lance. He told me Lance has liked Alex ever since high school. They even went to the prom together. The problem was Lance was crazy about Alex but she just liked him as a friend. He knows it but doesn't stop trying.

It was about that time that three guys walked up to Jerry and I. They looked like smart ass college kids and somewhat drunk. The smallest guy named Will was doing all the talking. Saying things like, "Hey where's your sister. Damn, she sure is a looker."

Jerry just sort of shrugged it off. He mentioned to me that his father said not to get into it with these drunk college guys unless he had no choice. It was better to walk away. As I mentioned earlier, I was well built and very capable of taking care of myself. When they started saying how they would like to get Alex drunk and what they would do to her it pissed me off.

I looked at the biggest of the three assholes and said to him, "Hey, Buddy! If your little friend doesn't close his filthy mouth and stop talking about my girlfriend, I'm going to kick your ass."

"Who the fuck are you, anyway?" said the little guy. "Don't give me that shit! She's not your old lady."

I reached in my wallet and took out two pictures of Lexi and set them on the end of the table. One was Lexi and I kissing and the other was signed, 'To my boyfriend, I love you Tom.'

I then stood up and cold cocked the biggest guy. I hit him first in the stomach and then hard in the chest right at his heart. He fell to the floor holding his chest. The other two jumped back and said, "Sorry Man, We don't want any trouble. We were just messing with Jerry here."

"If I ever hear of any of you bothering my woman or anyone in her family, I'll be back and I won't be so easy on you. I suggest when you see Alex in school that you apologize for harassing and scaring her. So you know, this isn't a threat, it's a fact. I'll be around for awhile."

Jerry and I finished our beer and left the bar. "Damn, Tom, that was something else. Where did you get those pictures of Alex?"

"It wasn't Alex, it was her twin sister that passed away. They were identical twins. She was my girlfriend. I figured that might put a scare into those idiots. Don't mention it to Alex, I don't want her mad at me," I laughed.

The next morning I arrived at the house and Alice invited me to breakfast. She had pancakes, eggs, potatoes and bacon. I couldn't believe they ate like this most every day. Bob said they always work it off. When Alex entered the kitchen I felt my heart beat faster. There wasn't a lot I could do about it.

It was Sunday but the accountant's wife was still going to be there to give us the files. The Smith's headed for church and asked me if I wanted to go along. I told them maybe next time.

Later when Alex and I arrived at the accountant's office I felt sorry for the lady. She told us that her husband's stroke hit him pretty hard. The doctor mentioned to him that he would probably have to retire; that his speech and probably his memory would be affected.

She told us that he would have to sell his business or find someone to run it. She even told me if I was interested in it that they would make me a good offer. I took the five years of the Smith's back tax filings. Mrs. Henry said they also had it backed up on the computer. She let Alex know that she was sorry that her husband wouldn't be able to help them and hoped it would all work out for them.

On the way back to the house Alex asked me a lot of questions about her sister. I answered them as best I could. She said she was up most of the night reading the diary. She told me about some of the dates that Lexi had mentioned and she thought back and could correlate a lot of the dates. She wished she would have kept a diary as well.

"She died on Earth Day didn't she?" asked Alex. I nodded in the affirmative.

"I know this might seem odd but this diary has really brought me close to her. We may have been in different states and lead different lives' but I can see we also had so much in common. I don't know how to thank you. There aren't very many men who would have done what you did. I can see why she fell in love with you."

"How did you know she died on Earth day? I don't remember telling anyone that." I asked.

"Around here we celebrate earth day since there are so many farmers. We plant our crops in the earth and take care of them. God oversees our farms and helps our crops grow. On earth day we had a fair in town. I got off one of the amusement rides and felt deathly sick. I figured that was when Lexi was in her accident.

"I ended up going home and Mom was going to take me to the hospital when the pain went away. All of a sudden a dark void came over me like I just lost a best friend. I began to cry. I talked to Mom but we couldn't explain it. Now I know that it was when my sister died."

I was lost for words so I just looked at her. I had to ask myself if I was having feelings for Alex or was she just so much like Lexi and I missed her. We got back to the house and Alex showed me a room with a desk and computer that I could use to begin going over the taxes. She explained that she had farm chores to do and would see me later.

Bob came in and said we never discussed my fee. I told him to let me look over the files before quoting any kind of a price. I wanted to see what type of problems we were having first. He brought in his letters from the IRS questioning deductions and income.

After spending a few hours going over some of the taxes Bob came in and invited me for dinner. "Well, do you think you will be able to help us out?" asked Bob.

"As a matter of fact I think we can have it done in about five days. I see where the deductions on the farm equipment weren't applied correctly in last year's return. I haven't looked at your past tax years yet but I'm figuring it's why they went back to look at the previous taxes. It's an error that's often made. So the IRS disallowed those deductions until you have them corrected.

"There were also a few minor errors but shouldn't affect the outcome too much. No need to go into all of them with you. That's why you have someone do your taxes for you, to save you all the aggravation."

"So, have you arrived at a cost yet?" asked Bob.

"I usually get fifty dollars an hour for personal tax preparations and a hundred an hour for business. I'm willing to do this for you for twenty dollars a day plus dinner. It should take me less than a week to correct them all."

"Are you serious? You're willing to correct five years of our taxes for twenty dollars a day?" asked Alice.

"Plus dinner," I added, smiling at Alice. I looked over at Alex and she was smiling at me.

"Why would you do that?" asked Bob. "We don't want to take advantage of you."

"You're not taking advantage of me. I'm just glad I could help," I replied.

"At least say you'll stay here to save you from renting a motel room. I won't take no for an answer," Bob responded.

"Ok, it's a deal. Room and board plus twenty dollars a day till your taxes are completed." I was hoping I wasn't making a mistake. It wasn't the money or the room and board, it was all about Alex and I knew it.

They fixed a nice room for me. At least I wasn't anywhere near Alex's room. I had a little trouble getting to sleep with my mind wandering. When I woke up the next morning Alex was already out the door and headed to college. I had breakfast and headed into the office to work on the taxes.

The errors were of a minor nature but the IRS has a tendency to scare people. I knew if I rushed I could have them done in a couple of days but I wanted to stay for a few more days and took my time.

I was in the office when Alex came barging in. "What did you do? I had three idiot guys come up to me and apologized for harassing me. They promised never to do it again. It seems some guy pretending to be my boyfriend had an altercation with them.

"I already went out in the field and talked to Jerry. He said you sort of had a fight with Mark, the big guy. Why did you do that?"

"I listened to them talking about you and it pissed me off. I showed them pictures of Lexi and me and told them it was you. I'm sorry if I offended you; I didn't mean too."

"Can I see the pictures?" I showed them to her. "My God, we really do look alike. No wonder they apologized. I wore that same skirt this morning. It was one that you brought me."

"Would you like to take a break and come out and help me with some chores?" asked Alex.

"I'd love to. I don't know much about farming," I answered. I loved her hillbilly accent. She would sort of slap me whenever I laughed after she said something.

We jumped on a tractor and she drove. She took me on a tour of the farm. Her cousins waved to me as we rode by. It was fun being out in the open, a bright sunny day. It would take a little getting used to the smell but I can see where farming is a big part of nature. Now I knew why it was in Alex's blood.

I helped her with her chores and she took me up in the barn loft. We sat there and talked. She thanked me for standing up for her. It seemed so calm and peaceful looking out the loft door over the acres and acres of farm land.

I wanted to lay her on the bales of hay and kiss her. What was the matter with me? I sat up quickly and she asked me if there was a problem. I told her we better get back to the house. I wanted to complete a little more work before stopping for the day.

After dinner I was going to ask her if she wanted to take in a movie or something. There was a knock at the door and it was her friend Lance. I couldn't believe I felt a twinge of jealousy.

She introduced me to Lance and said they were going to the movies and asked me if I wanted to come along. I could tell by looking at Lance that it was the last thing he wanted. I made up some dumb excuse and told them maybe next time. After they left I went back to the barn loft and just gazed out the door. I had to wonder what I was doing.

The next couple of days were similar. I took my time with the taxes and when Alex came home I'd help her with her chores. I met Larry's wife and two kids. I also met Jerry's wife and his daughter. They all seemed like really nice families.

By Thursday I had to ask myself what I was doing. I came here to honor Lexi but I knew I was falling for Alex. I knew I needed to back off. I was letting my emotions go too far. When Alex came home and asked me if I was going outside with her, I made an excuse about having to do something. She looked at me kind of odd, almost worried, said ok and went outside.

On Friday, it was getting dark out and I went up in the loft. It had become my place of solitude. Alex had a late night class on Fridays and I saw Lance drop her off at the house. A few minutes later she came up in the loft.

"Tom, what's the matter? The last couple of days you seem like you are more distant. Did I do or say something to make you mad at me? Please talk to me. I'm sorry if I did something to distance you from me."

"No, it's not you, it's me. I came here to honor my promise to your sister but I believe it went further than that. I interfered in your life and your family's. Alex, I think I'm falling in love with you only I'm not sure if it's you or the memory of Lexi. Maybe I'm just filling a void in my life; I don't know."

She had tears in her eyes. "Tom, kiss me, I mean really kiss me. I've been feeling similar, like I've fallen for my sister's boyfriend. Lance asked me to go out Saturday and I told him that I was going out with you. You're not the only one dealing with this problem."

I kissed her and she felt so soft, so sweet. I backed off, looked her in the eyes and kissed her again. I felt it, the love that comes with kissing someone you truly care for.

"So, did you kiss me or Lexi?" asked Alex.

"I kissed you and I don't regret it," I replied.

"Tom, maybe, just maybe you were sent here so we could be together. You may think I'm crazy but last night I talked to Lexi. Not in person of course but spirit to spirit. I honestly believe she sent you to be with me. She wanted us both to be happy."

I knew I had tears running down my cheeks. I knew I couldn't just walk away from Alex; if I did I would regret it the rest of my life. That night I slept in the loft with Alex next to me. We were both fully dressed but we did talk and cuddle. We glanced out the loft door at the beautiful blue sky full of stars and a quarter moon.

When we woke up in the morning we both headed into the house. I felt funny and wanted to tell Bob and Alice that we didn't do anything wrong. Instead, Alex just said 'Good Morning' to them and sat down for breakfast. Everyone acted like nothing happened. Later Alex told me that they trusted her judgment and she didn't feel I would take advantage of her.

I told Bob that his taxes were finished, all five years' worth and that I would be going to the post office that day to make sure it was sent priority mail. He didn't owe any back taxes. He thanked me and asked what my plans were for that day. I told him I would like his permission to take Alex out to dinner and to a movie.

He looked over at Alex and she was smiling. "Son," he said to me. "You should realize by now that Alex does pretty much what she wants. All we ever ask is that you treat her good."

He reached in his pocket and took out a hundred dollar bill and told me his bill was paid. Five days, twenty dollars a day. "By the way," Bob said. "I watched you doing the taxes. I believe you could have done them in three days." He just smiled at me and glanced over to Alex. I guess I didn't fool anyone.

I let them know that I planned on going home the next day and I thanked them for their hospitality. They did tell me I was welcome back any time. When I looked at Alex, she looked away. That evening we did go out for a wonderful dinner. Afterwards we sat in the lounge and talked. We even danced a couple of slow dances. We glided on the dance floor with ease. She smelled so good and felt so soft.

"Why do you have to leave?" she asked me.

"Because I need to know for sure how I feel. I have to work out my feelings. I've only been here a week and I believe I love you. I need to know that it's you and not just memories of Lexi. I can't do that if I see you every day. Besides you have college to finish and I'm in the way of your studying."

"I've never felt this way about anyone," said Alex. "Is it even possible to fall in love in only a week? I honesty do feel that I love you too. Will you at least promise me that you'll come to my graduation next month?"

The music stopped and I squeezed her tight against me. "I promise! I wouldn't miss it for anything."

We headed back to the house. My head was swimming in turmoil. After we got back to the house I walked out to the barn. It was after midnight but it was a place of serenity for me. As I lay there I heard a noise. I looked up and Alex was standing there. She kneeled down next to me.

"Do you want to make love to me?" she asked.

"More than anything in the world, but I can't. I can't do that to you until I get my thoughts straightened out. Believe me, I want you in the worst way but I won't take advantage of you," I replied.

She leaned over and kissed me softly. "I love you Tom, please come back to me." She got up and left the barn. I don't know why but I had tears in my eyes and it wasn't allergies.

The next morning Alice told me that I needed a good breakfast if I would be driving six hours. She made me biscuits and gravy, bacon and eggs, also some hash browns. I told them I promised to come back for Alex's graduation from college the following month. They told me I was always welcome. Alex wasn't saying anything but she did try to smile.

I walked to my car and was about to get in when I heard Alex yell, "Tom, Wait!" I turned around and she ran up to me and kissed me. I mean she really kissed me, right there in front of Bob and Alice. She then turned and ran past Bob and Alice and into the house.

I knew I had tears running down my cheeks as I drove away. I kept asking myself if I was doing the right thing. It was like in the movies; should I drive back and pick up Alex and take her to never, never land. The problem was this was real life, not a movie. I had to gather my thoughts.

I promised myself that I would take the next three weeks to work out my feeling and go back for Alex's graduation. It would also give her time to figure out what she really wanted. Yes, I knew I was doing the right thing.

Chapter 3

I still lived with my parents and they were happy to see me when I got home. They asked me if I found Alexandra and I told them I did. I let them know that I was tired and would tell them about my visit the next day. I headed to my room and have to admit I was already missing Alex.

I went to work the next day and my boss was somewhat surprised to see me. I buried myself in my work. I tried to think about anything except Alex. That evening I told my parents the story and even showed them pictures of Alex that she had given me. They couldn't believe that is wasn't Lexi.

They did tell me that I did the right thing to come home and let time decide my feeling. All week I just worked and in the evenings watch TV. I knew I was missing Alex.

On the following Saturday I called her. Alice answered the phone and mentioned that Alex was studying for finals with Lance and a couple of other friends. I told her not to bother her and I would call her the next week.

"Are you kidding me?" laughed Alice. "If I didn't tell her you were on the phone she would never speak to me again. Please hold on while I get her."